Jan Urban says his predecessor “made a mistake” to strip the Barcelona striker of the captaincy
New Poland head coach Jan Urban has made it clear he wants Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski to return to the Poland team, after the striker provisionally retired from international football last month.
He will then be reinstated as team captain.
Urban was unveiled as Poland manager on Thursday and moved swiftly to re-establish harmony in the team. He replaces Michal Probierz, who resigned in June after his row with Lewandowski was followed by a shock 2-1 defeat to Finland that threatened to scupper Poland’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking at his introductory press conference at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Urban said he was ready to bring Lewandowski back into the fold.
“Robert is a very important figure for our national team,” said Urban. “In my opinion, Probierz made a mistake by taking away the captain’s armband.”
Lewandowski had missed Poland’s June fixtures, after he informed Probierz that he was physically and mentally exhausted following a demanding club season in which he played 52 matches for Barcelona across all competitions, scoring 42 goals.
His absence caused an uproar, which he publicly criticised at the time. Probierz then went ahead to strip the armband from the 36-year-old in his absence and hand it to Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zielinski.
This led to a breakdown in relations between Lewandowski and Probierz, with the Barcelona striker furious over the manner in which he was informed about his removal as Poland captain after 11 years.
In a statement at the time, Lewandowski said the coach “betrayed my trust” and it “seemed to me that such matters should be handled differently”. He then proceeded to provisionally retire from the national team, saying he would stay away “for as long as [Probierz] remains in charge”.
With new manager Urban wasting no time in calling for his return, the Barcelona striker is now likely to make a comeback for Poland ahead of the crucial September World Cup qualifiers against the Netherlands and Finland.
Urban also dismissed concerns over Lewandowski’s age.
“Age? Sorry, but the numbers he’s putting up are excellent, and he’s doing it in the Spanish league, not in Saudi Arabia,” said Urban.
“For me, Lewandowski is a striker who, if you create a chance for him, will do his job perfectly.”
